The Annotated Pride and Prejudice: A Revised and Expanded Edition

I do hate giving this, which is one of my favorite stories, only a three, but I was not really a fan of the adaptation.The story itself was well-done, both in terms of the original and in terms of adaptation, and I thought the little magazine covers between each part (I'm assuming I was reading a combination volume and that they were originally released as individual comics) were adorable. The design there was quirky and charming.My problem was the actual art.I am one of those people (I apologize now!) that actually rarely notices the art in anything that has words. I read the words, I get a general impression, I notice color most decidedly, but I don't generally have a very strong opinion one way or the other on it. This really really bothered me, though, and it got progressively worse the longer I read. I was iffy from the beginning on the fact that they had clearly looked at the Keira Knightly adaptation of the film for inspiration, but I was willing to overlook that (and hey, redheads! I'm a fan of that!). Then small things started bothering me. The shading of their lips, which I winced every time I saw. The male faces, which were all oddly unsettling, even the friendly ones. By the time I finished this, I was attempting not to look at the art, which is kind of a terrible thing in a visual adaptation like this.I can't say it isn't just me (it probably is), but it really came close to ruining this for me--I almost gave it up (and it's 120 pages of a story I love--seriously, it is not a long read). I finished and actually debated between two stars and three, but let the charm of the story, the well-handled dialogue and well-chosen bits that were adapted, and the cute little magazine covers sway me up to "I liked it."I'll be going back to the book for my next re-read, though, for certain.

5 Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️“𝑽𝒂𝒏𝒊𝒕𝒚 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒑𝒓𝒊𝒅𝒆 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒅𝒊𝒇𝒇𝒆𝒓𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒔, 𝒕𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒈𝒉 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒅𝒔 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒐𝒇𝒕𝒆𝒏 𝒖𝒔𝒆𝒅 𝒔𝒚𝒏𝒐𝒏𝒚𝒎𝒐𝒖𝒔𝒍𝒚. 𝑨 𝒑𝒆𝒓𝒔𝒐𝒏 𝒎𝒂𝒚 𝒃𝒆 𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒖𝒅 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝒃𝒆𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒗𝒂𝒊𝒏.”𝑴𝒚 𝑻𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒈𝒉𝒕𝒔 Okay, I don’t quite know how to begin reviewing this book because I don’t think I have the right words for it. But one thing I know for sure—𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙨𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙𝙣’𝙩 𝙛𝙚𝙚𝙡 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙢𝙤𝙙𝙚𝙧𝙣, 𝙗𝙪𝙩 𝙞𝙩 𝙙𝙤𝙚𝙨.I still can’t quite wrap my head around the fact that Pride and Prejudice was written in 1813! It feels so surreal to be reading something that’s over 200 years old. I felt connected to Jane Austen—her writing these words and me, reading them. It’s a beautiful feeling I didn’t expect from a book.This was my first classic, and I enjoyed it so much that it has become the first book I want to re-read—just to dive deeper into the nuances, the subtle commentary, and the things I’m sure I missed the first time.But this wasn’t my experience at the beginning. I was completely lost—literally lost in the writing style. For a while, I felt like maybe I wasn’t good enough at English to understand it smoothly. And as I kept reading, things started to change. The story slowly pulled me in, and it felt like Jane Austen had drawn me into this quiet, intricate world of manners and unspoken rules. What I loved most was how cleverly it was written—Sometimes sarcasm was hidden beneath polite praise, and sometimes it was blunt and direct. It felt subtle, but never dull. In my opinion, this book is still so lovable because the setting may belong to another time, the plot feels relevant even today. At its core, it’s a story of misunderstandings, pride, and growing affection, layered with an enemies-to-lovers arc.. and plenty of family drama and social expectations.𝐋𝐞𝐭’𝐬 𝐭𝐚𝐥𝐤 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐰:Elizabeth Bennet: Her boldness was the first thing I admired about her. Even though she had prejudiced feelings towards Mr. Darcy at first, I loved how she reflected on her own mistakes and accepted that she had misjudged him. I loved her sharp wit and the way she could speak her mind without losing her charm.Mr. Darcy: He was initially full of pride and prejudice ;) against Elizabeth and her family. But I loved how he comprehended Elizabeth’s words and changed for her. I also admired how his pride slowly softened—not for the sake of romance alone, but because he truly reflected on his own faults.“𝑰 𝒄𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅 𝒆𝒂𝒔𝒊𝒍𝒚 𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒈𝒊𝒗𝒆 𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒑𝒓𝒊𝒅𝒆, 𝒊𝒇 𝒉𝒆 𝒉𝒂𝒅 𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒎𝒐𝒓𝒕𝒊𝒇𝒊𝒆𝒅 𝒎𝒊𝒏𝒆.”Mr. Bennet’s humour was so on point. His sarcastic comments made so many moments unexpectedly funny. Another character who was just as hilarious was Mr. Collins—his sense of entitlement and his rigid idea of “proper” values never failed to make me laugh.Jane and Mr. Bingley—Even though I feel Mr. Bingley was a bit too easily influenced, I can’t really fault him. Their relationship felt soft, gentle, and genuinely sweet.Mr. Wickham was one of the worst characters and I found his habit of playing the victim to hide his wrongdoings, pathetic. Miss Bingley and Lady Catherine de Bourgh were entitled in their own way and their sense of superiority was frustrating, but also entertaining.𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐲𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐥𝐨𝐰 𝐛𝐮𝐫𝐧, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐞𝐭 𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧—it was such a beautifully written romance. I loved how it wasn’t instant, but built on misunderstanding, growth, and eventually, mutual respect. It felt less like falling in love and more like learning to truly understand each other, which made it even more satisfying.The wit and humour in this book were on another level. Right from the iconic opening line, Jane Austen sets the tone for what’s to come. Through humour and irony, she explores themes of marriage, societal expectations, and class in ways that still feel relevant today. The commentary is woven subtly beneath the surface.One of the strongest themes is right in the title itself—pride and prejudice. The way characters misjudge each other, only to grow and understand, is at the heart of the story. It made the story feel real and not just romantic, which I loved. The ending left me deeply satisfied—I even smiled as Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy worked through their misunderstandings. It felt earned and brought together everything the story had been building towards.𝑻𝑳;𝑫𝑹Overall, this is a MUST-READ story of gradual love, mutual understanding, self-awareness, and personal growth. Jane Austen’s wit and humour pull you into a world full of societal pressures and family dynamics, all while giving you a slow-burn, yearning-for-each-other romance.Also posted on Ruminative Bibliophile.

✨️Audiobook review✨️Pride & Prejudice by Jane Austen⭐️⭐️.5Honestly, I found this pretty boring